Recently, I noticed something strange while monitoring the market: The XRP spot ETF absorbed over $10 million again yesterday. Normally, this level of capital inflow should push the price up, right? Yet the price is stuck at 2.04, as if frozen in place.

The money is clearly coming in, but the price refuses to move. Either there's a big move brewing behind the scenes, or someone's setting a trap for retail investors to fall into.

**Capital says one thing, price does another**
The ETF has seen several days of net inflows, indicating that these institutional "smart money" players are quietly accumulating. But the price action just doesn't cooperate, even showing signs of a pullback. The common playbook is usually one of two things: either the main players are using bullish news to offload their positions, or they're deliberately suppressing the price to accumulate more chips. Looking above at the 2.08 to 2.11 region, the bears are pressing hard, like there's an invisible ceiling.

**Technical analysis at a critical juncture**
The hourly chart shows that XRP is caught between two crucial levels: resistance at 2.04–2.05 above, and short-term support barely holding at 2.01–2.017 below. The MACD has formed a weak golden cross below the zero axis, and trading volume is sluggish—a classic "fake-out" scenario.

More importantly, the 2.025–2.042 range below is likely the main players' target accumulation zone—they're just waiting for the price to drop so they can scoop it up. At the current level, chasing higher is risky, but bottom-fishing feels premature. This is a real test of patience.